Conroe ISD has plan ready for population growth

,By Lindsay Peyton |
April 23, 2013

Realtor Michelle Flory, center, shows the home at 91 Green Gables in The Woodlands to the Aguilar family, including Cecilia, 12, from left, a 5th grader at Mitchell Inter., mom Rocio, Santiago, 6, a kindergartner at Bush Elem, Nicholas, 10, a 4th grader at Bush Elem., and dad Enrique Rios during an open house.

Photo By Jerry Baker/Freelance

Realtor Michelle Flory gets ready for an open house at 91 Green Gables in The Woodlands. Freelance photo by Jerry Baker

Photo By CISD

Peet Junior High School will open for the 2013-14 school year.Peet Junior High School will open for the 2013-14 school year.

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By the numbers

1 53,800 students in 56 campuses

1 37 percent economically disadvantaged

1 Increase of approximately 1,500 students a year

1 $342,549,304 annual budget

1 $1.29 tax rate per $100 valuation

1 3,800 teaching staff members

Conroe Independent School District is preparing for a rapidly growing student population as more companies move into the area and the housing market explodes.

Superintendent Don Stockton said that evidence of a burgeoning population is obvious. "You just have to drive around the county and see the building and talk to the Realtors to see the amount of growth," he said. "I think it's going to accelerate."

Stockton said the job growth in the area is a driving force. Lisa Meeks, director of communication for the district, agreed.

"Montgomery County is a leader in Texas in job growth, so we have seen numerous companies relocate within the Conroe ISD boundaries," she said.

Meeks said families are coming to the area because of ExxonMobil's new campus located in the south of the county.

"We are starting to see families relocate to the district due to Exxon moving here," she said. "We anticipate an acceleration in growth in the coming years due to Exxon's relocation."

In fact, Meeks said Conroe ISD already is one of the fastest-growing districts in the state.

Good place to live

"With low tax rates, high-achieving schools and many career opportunities, people want to live in Montgomery County," she said. "The growth has been a trend and we expect to continue to see our enrollment increase to mirror the county's growth."

Stockton said accommodating a rising population is nothing new for CISD.

"We've grown every year that I've been superintendent," he said. "It's something we deal with every day in our planning - from our instruction to our facilities."

Meeks said that keeping a close watch on demographics is the key for planning ahead.

"We have had continuous growth," she said. "Over the past 10 years, our average annual growth is approximately 1,500 students a year, and we anticipate the same trend in the coming years."

When the 82nd state legislature announced a $4 billion deficit in public school funding, CISD received a $23 million cut in its funding.

The district receives credit, however, for student growth from the state, since funding is based on average daily attendance. Growth in enrollment therefore has helped offset some of the cuts.

"State funding is based heavily on daily attendance, so the funding helps us serve additional students as enrollment increases," Meeks said. "It helps us handle the cost of educating students."

A growing number of students, however, can put a strain on school campuses.

"Each school has a certain capacity and when capacities are exceeded, facilities become less effective," Meeks said. "The demographic studies help us plan for growth, so our facilities have room for student growth or there is a long-term plan to expand."

Based on student population projections, the decision is made between building a new facility, adding classrooms to an existing school, or adding a portable classroom, she said. The district typically updates a demographic study approximately every five years.

Last summer, Population and Survey Analysts conducted a demographic study to project student populations through the 2021 school year. A similar study conducted in 2007 ran through the 2016 school year.

More schools

Meeks anticipates the district will see the highest increase in the number of elementary students.